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TIME | 9 April 2009, 4pm onwards
LOCATION | Seminar Room, Centre for Innovation, 87 St. David St.
SPEAKER | Dr. Solis Norton
In 2005 a Dutch agricultural policy maker, a Kiwi veterinary epidemiologist, and the Secretary of Development, Montenegro, (and organic farming enthusiast) conducted a study of agriculture in Montenegro. Farmers in Montenegro typically operate around the subsistence scale. Our aim was to evaluate the possibility of certifying a large enough number of these farmers under a recognized organic banner to profitably sell their produce in the EU. This seminar will describe the farmer-interview process, collation of results and conclusions, amidst a photographic essay of the topic.
Solis was born in Matamata, raised in Dunedin and went to Massey to do an agricultural science degree. He returned to Massey after a years farm work to do a Masters in Applied Science, working with possums and tuberculosis. He continued with a PhD in Veterinary Epidemiology, looking at the epidemiology of a mycobacterial disease, ’Johne’s disease’ in New Zealand dairy cows. My work experience includes sheep and beef farms, dairy farms, organic systems, orchard work, concrete paver making, data analysis, modeling the thermal efficiency of house designs, and arborist work. His interests, among many, for a long time revolved around riding and racing motorcycles, but in recent years have tended more toward martial arts, karate in particular.